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Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault
The game is the first to feature Pvt. Thomas Conlin (though, by the end of the game, he has made it Sgt.). Though the game ends in 1943, and in a cliffhanger ("The road to Tokyo is a long one, and we're only half way there..."-Thomas Conlin at the end of the game), the planned sequel was never released, as other games have been developed since the release of Pacific Assault. Gameplay Unlike previous Medal of Honor games, Pacific Assault places more emphasis on front-line combat and story. It was the first game to introduce Ironsights, allowing for precision aiming on weapons other than sniper rifles. There is also heavy emphasis on squad combat, with the playable character being able to give basic orders (advance, retreat, regroup, and open fire) to his squad mates, Frank Minoso, Jimmy Sullivan, and Willy Gaines and other, unnamed squad members. Plot Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault is the second game in the Medal of Honor series to focus upon the Pacific Theater rather than that of Europe, along with Rising Sun. It revolves around a United States Marine, Thomas Conlin, and his squad as they progress through the many major conflicts of the Pacific Theater against Japanese Army, from Pearl Harbor to Tarawa Atoll. Missions *'Tarawa (Prologue)' *'Boot Camp' is the first full level featuring the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego California in September of 1941 where Thomas Conlin and his future squad mates go through the basic layout of the game, including controls, weapons, and commands. Firstly, They go through the obstacle course to learn how climb ladders, crouch inside wooden tunnels, Prone under deadly barbered wires, run in mud pits, run on balance boards and Doing Rifle melee attack (Hitting with the end of the rifles) by hitting wooden dummies. The second portion of the level takes place at the firing range. Here, Conlin learns how to fire several different types of weapons, including the M1903 Springfield Rifle, an M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun (fitted with the 50-round drum magazine) and an M1903-A5 Springfield sniper rifle, the M1919A4 Browning light machine gun, use a Composition B explosive charge, fire mortars, and toss grenades. The final station is a course in squad commands, where Conlin learns to both give orders to the squad and also the procedures related to obtaining aid from the squad's medic, Jimmy Sullivan. In this exercise, Conlin carries squad mate Gaines to Sullivan for treatment as an exercise, and himself must learn how to stop bleeding on himself and call for a corpsman. With the mission over, Conlin's squad's drill sergeant dismisses them to mess. *'Pearl Harbor' focuses on the Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Conlin has been assigned to the battleship USS Arizona and enters the harbor in a jeep, Chief Petty Officer McAffee escorting him to his station on the ship. However, a plane flies low overhead towards the end of the tour. Initially, the sailors and marines believe the plane is an American plane with the Army Air Corps, but that thought is quickly dispelled when one sailor notes the "meatballs" (Red Circles) on the wings. Suddenly, the attack begins, with the air becoming filled with Japanese airplanes, bombing the harbor and strafing the sailors, marines, and civilians nearby. Conlin and McAffee are thrown from their jeep by an explosion on their way to the dock, and proceed to move their way up the pier, attempting to both save injured sailors and shoot down Japanese planes, though mostly in vain. The two make their way to a patrol boat at the end of the pier, but as Conlin boards the boat, McAffee is killed. Conlin mans the dual Lewis machine guns mounted on the bow of the patrol boat, and proceeds to shoot down many Japanese airplanes as the patrol boat goes along Battleship Row. Along the way, numerous battleships are destroyed, with the Arizona's destruction being highlighted towards the end of the ride (Tommy was very lucky he didn't board the Arizona). The patrol boat then heads towards the USS West Virginia to aid the crew in keeping the ship from sinking. After saving numerous members of the ship's crew, including its executive officer, Conlin proceeds topside to help defend Pearl Harbor using, hat first, an M2 Browning heavy machine gun, and then a Quad-Mounted 1.1" Anti Aircraft gun. He helps keep the West Virginia from taking more damage, and then aids battleship Nevada in escaping Pearl Harbor. *'Makin Atoll Raid': After the Pearl Harbor attack, Conlin is reassigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and is reunited with his boot camp friends Gaines, Minoso and Sullivan. The Makin Atoll Mission begins with the Marine Raiders scouting and sabotaging the island. After a recon plane is shot down, the squad quickly finishes up their original mission, and rushes to rescue the downed pilot, destroying many other Japanese installations and assets along the way. They evacuate the pilot to the beach where they arrived onshore at, and then wait for their submarine to arrive. In the meantime, they have to defend themselves from a Japanese attack, with Conlin killing several Japanese mortar teams. Following that, the 2 submarines that had brought them to the Atoll arrives, and the Marines pile onto their rafts. However, it is discovered that the unit sniper Willy had gone missing, and Conlin must go and find him, then bring him back to the raft while defending both of them from Japanese attackers. On the boat ride back to the submarines, Japanese A6M Zeroes attack, trying to both kill the Raiders and destroy the submarines. Conlin shoots down the Zeroes with Minoso's BAR, and then proceeds to defend the Nautilus from a torpedo attack run using a mounted .50 caliber machine gun. The Submarines then escape with the now-safe raiders on board. *'Nightmoves' *'Mandown' *'Sitting Ducks' *'Guadalcanal': After the Makin Atoll raid, Minoso is promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and now commands Conlin, Willy and Sullivan. The squad is reassigned to the 1st Marine Raider Battalion under Colonel Edson and deployed to Guadalcanal. They are first deployed to defend Henderson Field and the surrounding area against a Japanese attack, cleaning out Japanese artillery emplacements and blunting several attacks and culminating in a push to re-take the Airfield Here, the Japanese nearly succeeding but are eventually driven off. After securing Henderson Airfield, the squad participates in the massive Battle of Bloody Ridge, where they defend a strategically placed hill near the Airfield from a Japanese surprise attack at night. After the battle, Conlin earns the Silver Star from an impressed Edson and is promoted to Corporal. After The Battle of Bloody Ridge, Conlin and his squad scout the Lunga River and the swamps, coming across and wiping out Japanese patrols scouting the area. After the Lunga River battles, Conlin and his squad embark on a mission to Kokumbona Village and the surrounding area, to destroy the Japanese Artillery shelling Henderson Airfield and to finally end the struggle for Guadalcanal. *'Henderson Field' *'Bloody Ridge' *'Lunga River' *'Kokumbona Village' *'Fly Boys': After successfully securing the island, the now Corporal Conlin and his squad are put on a flight of SBD Dauntless dive-bombers and head towards "The Fleet" that is preparing an assault on Tarawa Atoll. During the flight, The squad is attacked by, and fights off, Japanese Zeroes and Japanese Ships, as well as destroying targets on a nearby island, and disabling 2 Japanese warships, among them an Akagi Aircraft Carrier. However, Minoso is badly wounded during this adventure and is sent home to recuperate. (Alternatively, Minoso can also die in this mission if the player fails to save him from a pursuing Japanese Zero) *'Tarawa': When Tommy and his squad reach the American Fleet, they are sent to the sandy island known as Betio in Tarawa Atoll. This would be the beginning of the end of the war in the Pacific. Conlin and the squad play instrumental roles in taking the island from the Japanese forces stationed on the island. From the landing day, Conlin and the unit fight in several parts of the island, taking out many artillery emplacements and capturing an enemy command bunker and eventually leads the way on the final assault on the last Japanese stronghold on the island. Weapons Allied * M1911 Colt .45 * M1917 revolver * M1 Garand * M1 Carbine * Mark II fragmentation grenade * M1903/A5 Springfield * M1928A1 Thompson * M55 Reising * BAR * M1941 Johnson * Remington Model 11 * Boys Anti-Tank Rifle * M1919A4 (mounted) * Lewis gun (mounted) * Browning M2. 50 caliber water cooled (mounted) * M2 Mortar (mounted) * 1,1 inch/75 Mk.1 (28 mm) (mounted) * Bofors L60 (mounted) * 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 (mounted) Japanese * Nambu * Type 38 Arisaka Rifle * Type 44 Cavalry Carbine * Type 97 Sniper Rifle * Type 100 Submachine Gun * Type 96 Light Machine Gun * Type 97 Grenade * Type 92 heavy machinegun (mounted) * Type 92 Lewis (mounted) * Model 89 Mortar (mounted) * Type 96 AA gun (mounted) * Type 96 Howitzer (mounted) Multiplayer Classes *Infantry (US) / Heitai (IJA) *Corpsman (US) / Kangohei (IJA) *Engineer (US) / Kosakohei (IJA) *Ammo Tech (US) / Shichuhei (IJA) Maps *Airfield *Bataan *Bridge *Bougainville *Corregidor *Gavutu *Gifu *Matanikau *Wake Island Game Mode *Free For All *Team Deathmatch D *Round-Based Match *Invader Reception Compared to the last Pacific-themed installment, Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, Pacific Assault fared much better with game critics. The game was praised for cinematic single player, stunning graphics, well-made soundtrack and deep multiplayer. But the game was not without its faults, being criticized for its bugs, glitches, gameplay problems and long loading times. On Metacritic, the game has a score of 80 out of 100. Trivia * The main .30 Caliber machine gun used by US forces during the game's time period would have been the M1917 Water-Cooled model, while the game shows the M1919A4 (which would eventually take over the M1917) and nearly all the M2 .50 Caliber Machine guns in-game are the water cooled model, but the Air-cooled model would have been more commonly used. Note that the air-cooled model is only seen once in the entire game, on the deck of the West Virginia, ''where, ironically, the water-cooled gun would be appropriate.﻿ *Conlin's actions on the USS ''West Virginia on December 7th are most likely based on those of Lieutenant Claude Ricketts, the fire control officer on the West Virginia who saved the ship from capsizing due to two torpedo hits with similar techniques that Conlin used. *The West Virginia was the same ship that Navy Cross recipient Doris Miller, a mess attendant who used a pair of M2 Browning machine guns to destroy incoming Japanese aircraft, and Conlin was situated in that day. *In the "Boot Camp" mission, it is odd how the Military Policemen guarding the grounds asks you to turn your weapons over to them every time you encounter one with weapons on your person, but allows other soldiers to take their rifles with them. * It is rather unlikely that Conlin's squad would be sent directly to the Tarawa Invasion fleet via carrier plane - rather, in real life, when about to invade an island in World War 2, the Marines assigned to the invasion would be sent to a staging base for training, usually the mainland United States or an island. * Most of the Marines in the film appear to be armed with M1 Carbines as their primary weapons. This is incorrect as the Carbine is usually reserved to Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and servicemen. Although some regular troops would have Carbines, the main weapon should be the M1903 or, from late 1942 onwards, M1 rifles. * McAfee escorts Pvt. Conlin around Naval Station Pearl Harbor in the opening of the Pearl Harbor mission. McAfee wears the insignia of a Master Chief Boatswains Mate (E9) on his sleeves. This rank was impossible to obtain in 1941 as it was not created until 1956. In the Navy of the 40's the senior-most enlisted rank was Chief Petty Officer (E7), in McAfee's case Chief Boatswains Mate. He also wears a gold band on his cover. This is incorrect as enlisted men would wear a black band on their covers. Gold indicates an officer's rank of Ensign (O1) and above. * This is the first installment in the series to feature blood, as the previous games had none of it. * The game is the first in the series to use the "thin red line" logo that was used up to and including Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. ** However, the game originally was going to use the logo design that the previous games used as seen in early trailers and advertisements for the game. MOHPA Original Logo.png|The original logo, similar to the logo used for previous entries in the series. MOHPA Original Ad 1.jpg MOHPA Original Ad 2.jpg MOHPA Original Ad 3.jpg Gallery mohpa 2011-10-12 23-05-00-03.jpg|Tommy Conlin (Carrying a thompson) With Chief McAffee on the Pearl Harbor docks. mohpa 2011-10-12 23-08-33-89.jpg|The view as Conlin's PT Boat goes down Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor. mohpa 2011-10-13 00-51-40-38.jpg|The 1942 Makin Atoll Raid from Conlin's viewpoint. Here he is using a Japanese Type 100 Submachine gun. mohpa 2011-10-13 01-03-25-14.jpg|In the jungle on Makin. mohpa 2011-10-13 01-51-03-39.jpg|Conlin observes a Japanese floatplane on Makin. mohpa 2012-01-03 18-09-46-77.jpg|A Japanese Marine charges the US Marines. The Japanese Special Landing Force is encountered in the Makin and Tarawa levels. mohpa 2012-01-03 18-10-08-07.jpg|When Tommy Dies at The Tarawa prologue. 1.png|In-Game MP map: Airfield 2.png|In-Game MP map: Bataan 3.png|In-Game MP map: Bridge 4.png|In-Game MP map: Bougainville 5.png|In-Game MP map: Corregidor 6.png|In-Game MP map: Gavutu 7.png|In-Game MP map: Gifu 8.png|In-Game MP map: Matanikau 9.png|In-Game MP map: Wake Island External Links *''Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault for PC on Metacritic'' Category:Games Category:Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault